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How To Overcome Your Fear of Starting A Business

We’re not going to lie to you; starting your own business is very challenging. One might even go as far as to say that it is a hectic and daunting task as well. You may have excelled in the business courses you took, but you probably lack the real world experience. There is usually a lot of money that goes into beginning your own business as well. There is also the task of knowing your target audience and getting the right crew to back you up. Not to mention the demands of a payroll, accounting, IT management, workplace compliance, and human resources responsibilities. This is what throws rookie entrepreneurs off their game. But this is not the end of the road. Just because you feel anxious doesn’t mean you let it take you over. Even the most successful businessmen had their share of fear when they were starting out. The point is that they eventually overcame their fears and took the plunge. You can do it as well. Make the following steps a part of your life from now to maximize your business success. 1. Believe In Yourself You may have heard this from many people who try to inspire you, but what does it mean exactly? If you know how well the market is performing and have taken the necessary preparatory steps then you must believe that you can do it. Nobody else can tell you that you can’t do it. They may not have your drive or courage and they cannot see into the future. You alone are the one who gets to decide whether you win or lose. Many who backed away from their dreams simply lacked the motivation and bravery to go the distance. Do not make the same mistakes they did.2. Research Like Your Life Depends On It The more you know about the scope of your business, the more assuring it will be for you. Research everything there is to know about the field you have chosen. Find out what is required to start a business and what specifics you need to know about the industry. Fear is often a byproduct of being unaware of what you're up against. You can't prepare for everything but I suggest you read up on all of the books, magazines, websites, and forums you can find for additional insight. 3. Write Down And Organize Business Goals. You probably have a lot of business goals and objectives floating around in your head so it’s time to put them into writing. Get them down on paper or type it up and plan to implement. Determine possible obstacles you might run into and methods to deal with them effectively. 4. Find Support From Other Entrepreneurs The path of entrepreneurship can be a very lonely one that many people don't understand if they haven't been there before. If you connect with other entrepreneurs that are in similar situations it can help keep you supported and motivated. You can also help each other out with different tasks and questions you might have. If you find a partner you can relate to and confide in it will be a much more pleasant journey. There are also plenty of meetups and groups for entrepreneurs, many of them free. As always, there is a strong online community of entrepreneurs to bounce ideas off of or ask for advice. It will be more difficult to go it alone and you don't have to. 5. Remember The Reasons You Want Your Own BusinessWhen you come to face your fears in front of you, just remind yourself of the reasons why you wanted to start your own business in the first place. Remind yourself how difficult or stagnant your current career or financial situation is and that you can't go on llike this forever. Think of the freedom and opportunity you are embracing by making this change. This will dispel some of those doubts and demons trying to gnaw at your soul and consume your confidence. You know how much effort you have put in up until this point and you shouldn’t stop now. Business success stories are all about resilience and mental toughness in the face of adversity.6. Prepare To Take Risks There is no map into the future that will let you know where you have to go. That is one of the basic elements when it comes to starting a business – you have to take risks. Cowering away just because you don’t know what awaits you is not the way. The most successful entrepreneurs are those who boldly take risks. As a matter of fact, the real risk is not trying at all. There is no sure way of knowing whether things will work out but you don't want to go on living saying "what if" and regretting that you played it safe.7. Start Part-Time If you feel like you're not ready to make the jump to full time entrepreneur you can probably start on a part time basis. Before you even think about quitting your job and removing that safety net start to build the framework for your new business on nights and weekends... or even lunch breaks! Study the industry, put together an in-depth business plan, meet with business experts, grow your investment capital, and even work or volunteer in a related position to soak in all of the experience you can. While you might not want to do this forever, it can sometimes be the smartest way to prepare you to cut the cord and work for yourself. 8. Get Unbiased Professional & Customer Feedback Feedback is one of the best business shaping tools that you’ll need along the way. We may at times think that we are doing a great job, when in actuality we have a biased vision of our performance. It could also be skewed if you just listen to the feedback of friends and family that will usually be more on the complimentary side. You need completely objective customer feedback from prospects, customers, and even anonymous survey respondents. Ignoring the tastes of the customer means that you risk failure.

Listening to your customers will help your business progress even further. If they have questions it falls on you to answer them. If a product or service is defective, then fix it. Be more open to your target audience and they will be more loyal to you. Overall, keep your customers first and foremost and get as many unbiased opinions as possible before getting started. 9. Take A Break To Avoid BurnoutIf you've take most of these suggestions and still feel too overwhelmed it might be best to take a step back and recharge. Step away from your entrepreneurial preparations, do something relaxing / creative, and think about the big picture. Relaxation helps you think clearly and will allow you to make coherent decisions for your business. It's also important to keep yourself healthy to maximize your productivity. There will always be plenty of time to put in the extra work needed for business success. Don't let fear get in the way of changing your life for the better! Author Bio Jasmine Demeester is a Business Consultant cum academic consultant at a dissertation writing service who loves sharing tips on entrepreneurship, and finance.